How Much Does a Custom Home Cost in Perth?

How Much Does a Custom Home Cost in Perth? The Answer is…

It’s the question every prospective custom home client asks first, and the one most builders dance around. We’d rather give you a straight answer, because honesty is one of the three values this business is built on.

The short answer: a genuinely custom home in Perth typically ranges from around $350,000 for a modest single storey build to well over $1.5 million for a large, architecturally detailed double storey home on a premium site. But that range is almost meaninglessly wide,  because cost is driven by a combination of factors that are entirely specific to your brief, your block, and your design decisions.

This page is designed to help you understand those factors, so you can approach your building budget with clarity rather than anxiety. Thinking about building in Perth? Book a free Discovery consultation.

Why Custom Home Costs Vary So Much

Project builders can publish a fixed price list because every home they build is, to some degree, the same home. The variables are controlled by the template. When there’s no template, every cost variable is determined by your decisions.

That’s not a weakness of the custom model. It’s the whole point. The ability to make every decision means you can prioritise what matters most to you, and not pay for things that don’t.

The primary drivers of custom home cost in Perth are:

Size; floor area is the single biggest cost lever. More square metres means more of everything: structure, materials, trades, time.

Specification level, the gap between a well-designed home with quality inclusions and the same home with premium finishes, imported stone, and bespoke joinery can be substantial. Neither is wrong, it’s about where your priorities sit.

Site complexity — a flat rectangular block on a new estate is the simplest build scenario. A steeply sloped Subiaco block, a heritage-adjacent lot, or a narrow infill site all introduce engineering and design complexity that affects cost. Good design can turn these into assets, but it doesn’t make them cheaper.

Design decisions — spatial generosity, ceiling heights, window scale, indoor-outdoor connection. These decisions shape how a home feels, and they have real cost implications.

Realistic Cost Ranges by Home Type

Single Storey Custom Homes: approx. $350,000 to $750,000+

A well-designed single storey custom home for a Perth family; 3–4 bedrooms, open plan living, quality but not premium specification, typically sits in the $350,000–$550,000 range for the build (land not included). As specification climbs, larger footprints, premium stone, commercial glazing, feature ceilings — costs move toward $750,000 and beyond.

Double Storey Custom Homes: approx. $600,000 to $1.5 million+

Double storey homes are more complex to build and design, and they offer more. A generously proportioned double storey with considered interiors, quality inclusions, and strong architectural presence typically starts around $600,000–$800,000 for the build. Premium specification, large footprints, and high-design detailing can take this well past $1.5 million.

Unit & Triplex Developments: project-specific

Investment property builds, triplexes, duplex pairs, unit developments, are priced on a project basis. The relationship between construction cost and yield potential is the key calculation. Select Living has significant experience with multi-dwelling developments and can help model this accurately.

What Drives Cost Up, And What Doesn’t Have to

Understanding which decisions significantly affect cost, and which feel premium but don’t, is one of the most valuable things a good builder can help you with.

High-impact cost decisions: site engineering, floor area, window and door systems, kitchen and wet area specifications, structural steel, ceiling heights over 2.7m.

Lower-impact-than-expected decisions: facade design language (architectural interest doesn’t always cost more), spatial planning (an efficient plan can feel generous without being large), landscape integration.

At Select Living, our Discovery process is specifically designed to surface these conversations early, before any drawings lock in assumptions. We’d rather help you understand the cost implications of your brief at the beginning than present a surprise at contract stage.

The Hidden Cost of Going with the Wrong Builder

In an industry with a genuine trust deficit, cost surprises are common. Provisional sums that blow out. Inclusions that turn out to be entry-level. ‘Upgrades’ that should have been standard.

One of the most important things we tell prospective clients is this: the builder who quotes lowest isn’t always the builder who costs least. Opaque contracts, low-spec inclusions, and poor communication all have financial consequences that arrive later, when it’s too late to walk away.

Select Living’s core values; honesty, transparency, and understanding, aren’t marketing language. They’re how we price, contract, and communicate. Our clients know what they’re getting before they sign. That certainty has real value.

The Best Next Step

The most useful thing we can do for your budget is have a conversation about your block, your brief, and your priorities — and give you honest, specific guidance rather than a generic range that means nothing.

That’s what our Discovery consultation is for. It costs you nothing. It gives you clarity. And it’s where every Select Living home begins.

Book your free Discovery consultation